


So understanding and so kind (You're everything to me)

by wonkystank



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Dead May Parker (Spider-Man), Gen, News Media, POV Third Person, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26619952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonkystank/pseuds/wonkystank
Summary: **BREAKING** Queens High Schooler Peter Parker Revealed to be the Son of Playboy Tony StarkIron DAD? What we know about Peter Parker, Biological Son of Billionaire Tony StarkTony Stark's SECRET Child - A Low-Income Queens StudentMillions Question Why Billionaire Tony Stark Only Claims His Illegitimate Son NoworWhen Peter is outed as the son of Tony Stark, they allow one reporter in for an interview. Here is the article that was written.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 10
Kudos: 212
Collections: Irondad and his Iron kids, The Friendly Neighborhood Exchange





	So understanding and so kind (You're everything to me)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [opal_earrings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/opal_earrings/gifts).



> A handful of important details-- first off, the reporter is Gwen Stacey. This is just because it was convenient for me to write with an actual character in mind. There's no romantic feelings between her and Peter, as Peter is 17 and she's 20-something in this story. Second, this is technically first person outsider perspective, but I think with the style of the news article, it shouldn't be a major problem if you don't like first person. I don't usually like first person but this works for me. Third, technically this could exist in the regular universe, but I purposely left out any details related to Spider-Man or Iron Man. So that's up to your imagination. The prompts I filled were: Outsider POV, Identity Reveal for Peter, and Bio-dad. ST*RKERS DNI

EXCLUSIVE: Tony Stark and his Biological Son Open Up! 

Tony Stark's pseudo-catchphrase is "You Know Who I Am." And yet, if there's anything we've learned from watching him all these years, it's that we have no idea what's truly behind that enigma of a man. He was thought to be a narcissistic war profiteer once, then vomited up his guilt at the lives lost because of him after he returned from his kidnapping in Afghanistan. He revolutionized his company and the whole tech industry by shutting down the weapons sector, and truly dedicated his time to improving the world, putting much more effort into his charities as well. It all showed plainly that there was more behind that mask of iron. Time and time again, he has proven to be more than the selfish, arrogant, inflated persona he portrays in the public. When I heard the news of Tony's newfound son, I wasn't entirely surprised by the facts, considering his playboy past. What stunned me, and many others, was release of the completely domestic photo of them curled up on the couch watching Star Wars. It was tweeted out by Stark in lieu of a press release, alongside the words, "He's mine. Biologically." This came after the Daily Bugle's story from an anonymous source. 

I only wished I could be the one to cover the story for my outlet, but knew it would be passed along to someone with years more experience. So I was completely shocked when I received an email two nights ago, at around 6pm, not from my supervisor, but from Tony Stark himself. He asked me to come over the next day for an interview with himself and Peter Parker, his biological son. Just me. No senior colleagues invited, or permitted. And, to prove it really was him, he enclosed a picture of himself, holding a business card on which he had obviously written, "Gwen Stacey, no, this isn't a prank. -T.S."

So there I was, 9:55am on a Wednesday, in the lobby of the famous Stark Tower. If you haven't seen the inside before, know that all of it oozes grandeur and opulence in a particularly modern way, much like Stark's public persona. 

I was surprised when, after going through security, I was instructed to go down a quiet looking hallway, rather than being lead to, say, Stark's office. I was even more surprised when Tony Stark waited around the corner of the hall. 

He wasn't half as imposing as he is on television. Granted, he was still pretty imposing, having the resume of Tony Stark. He's a little shorter than you expect, and he met me in blue jeans and a blazer thrown over a t-shirt, in a way that distinctly seemed to be more of an afterthought. He shook my hand, apologized for the cloak and dagger meeting place, and lead me to the elevator to take us up to his penthouse.

Technically speaking, I had been ready for anything, my preprepared questions flexible for whoever Stark turned out to truly be - aloof, awkward, superficial, or irritable. In real life, he was down-to-earth, confident without being smarmy or obnoxious, and set me at ease fairly quickly. He asked about my family, my schooling, my job. I was a little unfairly surprised he would take such an interest in my life because I was operating off of all these assumptions I'd absorbed from his many previous incidents.

It was then when I really, truly started to wonder just how much Peter Parker and becoming a father had changed him.

I sat down just with Stark at first.

Q: So, getting right into the nitty gritty, I think a lot of people are rabidly curious how Peter was conceived.

Stark: Yeah, people are really obsessed over that detail, and honestly it's none of their business, just like you don't go up to families on the street and ask the parents when and where they made their kids. But for the sake of your story, it's about what anyone would expect. Sometime in December '01, I had some adult fun times with the woman who would be Peter's mother. I was always very careful, but of course, condoms are only 99% effective and who knows, it could've been tampered with. No matter what, though, I'm so incredibly glad for the cosmic fluke that gave me him.

Q: How has having Peter in your life changed the way you think and act?

Stark: Ooh, going philosophical now. I guess, you really do learn a form of higher love. It's just, incredible to think that there's this person, and they look up to you and trust you, and it's really everything. My father, you know, I knew he didn't truly love me, I knew I couldn't look up to him, from a very young age. And it makes anyone who's suffered that sort of trauma very cautious of having their own kids. Scared that you're going to pass all your negative baggage along to them. I have Peter now, and I'm still scared, every day, of messing up. But I know that I love him, and that being scared of messing up makes me better as a father, and as a human. 

Q: A lot of people have pegged you as this cold, vapid narcissist who throws money at all his problems. I imagine you could've thrown a lawyer and a settlement at this when you found out, so why did you choose to connect with Peter? 

Stark: We actually met before we knew [we were related], and that kid, he's just so incredibly kind and genuine and selfless. It's almost impossible not to like him. I'll save the main story until Peter is here to tell it with me, but he impressed so much that I hired him on as my personal intern. So we got to know each other over the weeks, and when we did eventually find out, it wasn't even a question for me, to stay or to freak out and leave. You just see it when you meet him, really. 

Q: I have one last, little selfish question. Why chose me? You're pretty famous for your intense press conferences, why just one person?

Stark: Well, first off, my PR people and Pepper [Potts] were not very amused by my tweet, and insisted on more. A press statement would've been too simple for a lot of people, the gossip rags would've dug into the past to an even greater degree than I'm sure they are at the moment. A press conference, yes, would've done the job, but having that sort of stage removes all the humanity. And this is a scenario, I think, where humanity is deserved. Peter deserves a normal life right now. And Peter and I picked you because we knew you would be good. Perceptive, intelligent, giving the readers what they want without compromising the integrity of the person or the story. 

After that, Stark called for Peter to come in for their joint interview. He looked like he was trying not to seem nervous, but it showed through in his hands fidgeting by his side. I couldn't blame him though, since I knew this interview would probably be a major part of defining himself to the world. 

He didn't really need to worry though. Peter Parker simply radiates kindness and a certain sort of genuinity. I understood every bit of Stark's description of his kid, seeing the teenager face to face. 

Q: Stark alluded to it earlier, but how about the full story of how you met? 

Stark: So this was, what, 3 years ago now? 

Peter: Three and a half, since I was 14 then. 

Stark: [rolls eyes] Teenagers. Anyways, Peter had developed this first aid, adhesive-- how would you describe it? 

Peter: It's a quick wound sealant, and I chemically patterned it after spider webs, since they're so strong. So, if someone has a major wound, and are losing blood fast, there's an applicator that paramedics, or whoever can use to seal up the wound almost immediately. It's non-toxic, resistant to infection, and semi-absorbant. 

Stark: And yes, he developed this in 9th grade science class. Right now it's making its way through medical journals and peer review and testing, but we're getting close to releasing it. Anyways, Peter contacted our R&D department with his design because we were focusing on medical technology pretty heavily then, and the supervisor there was so impressed that he passed it on to me, because technically I am the department head, now that Pepper is the CEO. And then I was so impressed that I knew I had to track the inventor down to make a deal and refine it further with the resources SI has. And here he is, this 14 year-old shrimp, (Peter: Hey!) with this absolutely genius, lifesaving device. We emailed back and forth for about 6 weeks, about possible improvements, but neither of us were very good at articulating ourselves in writing at the time, so I invited him to my lab. 

Peter: When I got that email, I was in history, and I absolutely lost my mind. I like, shrieked a little, and then asked to go to the bathroom, so I could properly freak out, but by the way the class was looking at me, I think they assumed something really different, so that put a damper on my mood. But not that much. I was like, jumping up and down once I got in there. 

Stark: When he met me for the first time in person, he was so nervous that he shook my hand and then bowed a little. It was adorable. 

Parker: So yeah, I went to his lab, twice a month for two months? And then the tweaks on the formula and applicator weren't going fast enough because we got so distracted talking about other stuff like our lives and some of Tony's other tech. So then it was once a week, and we got it registered as a formal internship. And then six months of that, I would come over on full Saturdays. And it just kept going and going. 

Stark: And then suddenly, I'm attached at the hip with this brat. 

Q: Your relationship obviously developed very naturally, but when in there did you find out you were biologically father and son? 

Stark: Oh, wow, probably a year and a half after we met? So two years ago now. 

Peter: Tony doesn't like the first half of this story very much. 

Stark: Oh, you really want me to tell everyone about how little common sense you have? Fine then. So a year and a half in, we were close enough that Peter was just coming over whenever. Sometimes I'd be stuck in meetings and I foolishly trusted this kid to be safe in my lab. But instead of doing typical tinkering or his homework, or something normal, he decides to use explosive chemicals. You see where this is going, right? 

Peter: In my defense, I didn't think you'd let me do it if I asked. 

Stark: And now I have a special lock on the cabinet with the dangerous substances, that only my fingerprint can access. So Peter makes some mistakes, because he's also incredibly tired, and blows up half my lab and most of himself. That-- honestly, that was probably the scariest moment of my life, getting that explosion alert from my lab, when I knew you were up there. He's rushed to the hospital, and the hospital figures out his blood type, and they're low on it because it's AB- so rare and people don't donate blood. But I know that I'm the same blood type-

Peter: Because you used to get into lab accidents all the time too-

Stark: And I was in my twenties back then and thought I was invincible. And so I volunteer to give my blood, so on and so forth. Eventually, Peter stabilizes, and they do some surgery, but they leave him in a coma so he can heal better. At some point during the surgery, May Parker arrives and tears a strip out of me for letting Peter get hurt. I'm still afraid that if I mess up too bad, that she's going to come down from heaven and yell at me again. She was lovely most of the time, but she was terrifying to me that day. We were sitting at Peter's bedside when she told me that I was his father. Peter's birth mother had told May before he was born, but wanted to keep it a secret. I didn't want to believe it then, I had no proof, but it just-- resonated in my soul. And I knew it was true. May let me run a DNA test, and sure enough, he was my son. They left Peter under anesthesia for six days. I was so terrified of stepping into a defined roll like father, or dad, because he had already gotten hurt because of me and the ways I hadn't thought to protect him. But I knew I loved him, and if I left and shut him out, I just wouldn't ever be truly happy. 

Peter: I was super high on morphine when I found out. I thought it was a dream, because I think I'd had a few similar dreams. At the time, I think I was embarrassed of wanting Tony Stark, my mentor, to be like, my dad, but now I'm not. I'm embarrassed of having Tony Stark as my dad when he uses memes and slang in front of my friends and says it totally wrong. Anyway, he told me, I was super high from the painkillers and didn't really believe him. And he told me a few more times after that during my stay in hospital, so by the time I was off most of the drugs, I was pretty sure that he was my bio father. But I wasn't 100% sure until a month after the whole incident. I went over to the Tower for the first time since I blew up the lab, and Tony had cooked this whole amazing pesto pasta. I asked him then, and he said yes, and we had a whole big emotional conversation. 

Tony: And May and I agreed upon true partial custody after that. 

Q: Wow. That must've been quite the emotional month. You've clearly got a very strong connection over science, but what else have you bonded over?

Peter: Bad movies. That's what my Friday nights are like. We did, uh, Dora and the Lost City of Gold last week? It was surprisingly good. 

Stark: He was laughing hysterically in parts. It was somewhat alarming at points. 

Peter: I was like, raised on Dora, and they did a pretty good job of poking the limits of this inane kids' procedural. 

Stark: And if you can't tell from that sentence, he enjoys English class and all the finicky critical thinking. 

After that, we wrapped up the joint interview and I got the chance to speak with Peter alone.

Q: What led up to you meeting Mr. Stark? 

Peter: That's, uh, bit of a vague question, but I guess I'll add to the basics that the media has dug up already. So, my parents were Mary and Richard Parker. They were scientists, and I think were headed to a conference when their plane crashed, and they both died. Don't feel too badly for me there, I guess, because at that age, psychologically, it's not really grief in such a painful way. It's more just getting upset easier and having a fear of abandonment. Then, I was raised by my aunt and uncle, May and Ben. They were the ones that really raised me. Ben, he taught me to use my abilities for good. I was 14 when he died. He was mugged. And I'd developed the webbing by then, but had no idea what to do with it. And then I turned it into the quick bandage. It wouldn't have saved Ben's life, but it'll save others in the future. And that's what he would want. My aunt passed a little less than a year ago. Car crash. It- it's been really hard. But Tony took me in, and the sun keeps on rising, I keep getting out of bed, and I get by. And the main thing that keeps me going is that there's going to be someone I can help by sticking around. I have a responsibility to use what I have to help people, to make the world better. 

Q: That's just incredible. I'm sorry for your loss as well. Would you like to take a minute to breathe? (Peter: No, no, I'm alright.) Okay then. How has having Stark in your life influenced and changed you? 

I mean, physically speaking, we decided a while back that I wanted to change my name to Peter Parker-Stark, but we were waiting until the press heard that we were related. So now, we're working on the papers for that change. Emotionally though, it's been really grounding, I think is the best way to describe it. After we had gotten close, and especially after the lab incident, having a second parent-figure again just made things easier. Honestly, I don't know how May made it all work before then, as a grieving single parent. But Tony just knows how to calm me down, how to pick me up. Sometimes I think he knows me better than I know myself. Tony, he's just so constant, so steady in my life. I don't know what I would've done without him, after losing May. He just holds me up, for sure. 

Q: What's a major misconception people have of Tony Stark?

That he's not human. People think they can say anything just because he's a celebrity and he used to present himself publicly as careless and self centered. But he continues to feel responsible for the lives that were taken with his weapons, and the people he's hurt. Everything he does now is to correct that. People just refuse to see how he's changed over the years, and even when they notice differences in his actions, they chalk it up to PR moves. And that just makes me really mad. He's not the same as he was, and he feels love and he feels pain.

Q: Alright, last one, and it's pretty simple. Have any future career/study plans?

Peter: I'm not quite as oriented towards electrical engineering like Tony, I tend to prefer biochemistry. I think Tony would really like it if I went to MIT but if I don't do that, I'll probably stay local with Columbia or NYU. No guarantees on careers though, I'm not going to make solid plans before I've even started my degree. 

Stark came back in, and we all shook hands. Peter gave me a loaf of bread he'd baked that morning. He told me he stress baked, and I apologized for the stress of the interview.

"No, not you, just.. everything right now," he said, gesturing vaguely with his hands, and I was reminded of what stress Peter must be going through.

Journalists have a responsibility to investigate, to find a story and dig deep, and lay out all the ugly details for the world to see. But Peter is 17, not even an adult yet. There's no sinister plot, no grand conspiracy. Just a father and son with a more complicated story than most, and fame that leaves the public feeling entitled to every detail. But give them privacy, allow Peter time to grow up without fear of being torn apart for any small mistake.

Besides, after what I saw and heard today, I don't think anyone should have to witness the wrath of Tony Stark when you go after his kid. The world saw him as cold and unfeeling, but he is anything but that. Stark would do anything for Peter Parker. After today, I think I would do anything for Peter Parker. Wouldn't you? 

**Author's Note:**

> If you feel like imagining in a powers universe, the medical web stuff can be the cover story they made up in advance, and the lab incident code for some Spider-Man problem. Leave a comment if you enjoyed!


End file.
